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Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ali Al-Hakim announced that his country will officially demand Syria’s return to the Arab League.[…]

He also stressed that with the exception of Qatar and Somalia, all Arab countries were committed to preserving Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, describing Turkey’s actions in north-east Syria as an “invasion of an Arab state’s land and aggression on its sovereignty”. Turkey has military bases in both Qatar and Somalia.

Lebanese Foreign Minister, Gebran Bassil, reiterated Al-Hakim’s sentiments regarding Syria’s membership by asking: “Isn’t it time for Syria to return to the Arab League?”[…]

Syria’s membership in the league has been suspended since 2011, when the Syrian government launched a harsh crackdown on pro-democracy protests, sparking eight years of civil war. Läs artikel

Government of India

We are deeply concerned at the unilateral military offensive by Turkey in north-east Syria

Turkey’s actions can undermine stability in the region and the fight against terrorism. Its action also has the potential for causing humanitarian and civilian distress.
We call upon Turkey to exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

We urge the peaceful settlement of all issues through dialogue and discussion.

New Delhi
October 10, 2019

Syrian Arab Army units began moving north to confront Turkish aggression on Syrian territory, SANA’s reporter in Hasaka said on Sunday.

Upon the announcement of this news, the people of Hasaka began celebrating through holding marches in the neighborhoods of the city, welcoming this move to confront the Turkish aggression.

Meanwhile, in Qamishli, the locals took to the streets in expression of their happiness and welcome of the declaration of the move of the Syrian Arab Army to confront the Turkish offensive, affirming that the army is the only protector of the homeland which is able to defend it in the face of the aggression.

This movement comes to confront the ongoing Turkish aggression on towns and areas in the north of Hasaka and Raqqa provinces, where the Turkish forces committed massacres against locals, occupied some areas, and destroyed infrastructure.

Anskaffningen av Finlands nya jaktplan avancerar. Senare i höst inleds den andra offertrundan, då Försvarsmakten ber de fem konkurrerande plantillverkarna om att precisera sina tidigare offerter.

– Vi går nu in i ett mer krävande skede, där vi förhandlar noggrannare med varje tillverkare om hurdana helhetslösningar de kan erbjuda oss, säger programdirektör Lauri Puranen vid Försvarsministeriet.

Regeringens finanspolitiska ministerutskott diskuterade jaktplansanskaffningen förra veckan och gav grönt ljus för projektet att fortsätta. Puranen är nöjd med beskedet. […]

De ursprungliga offerterna gällde 64 nya plan, enligt flygvapnets önskemål. Antalet nya plan kan ändå vara större eller mindre än 64, beroende på helheten och om tillverkarna anser det motiverat. Budgeten för det så kallade HX-projektet är oförändrad. Det sammanlagda inköpspriset för planen, med alla tillhörande data- och vapensystem samt andra element, är högst tio miljarder euro. Det allt svagare konjunkturläget verkar inte ha gjort ministrarna betänksamma.

– Vi behöver ett trovärdigt försvar, oberoende av det ekonomiska läget. Det är nödvändigt att se till att vi får sådana plan som till alla delar kan ersätta de plan vi har idag och som svarar mot framtidens behov, säger SFP:s partiordförande, justitieminister Anna-Maja Henriksson. Läs artikel

The UN Security Council held on Thursday a closed-door session to discuss the Turkish aggression against the Syrian territories.

The meeting, which was called at the request of five European countries, including the U.K., Belgium, France, Germany and Poland, failed to agree on a statement on the Turkish aggression on the Syrian territories.

Following the session, the ambassadors of the European member-states at the UNSC called on the Turkish regime to stop its aggression against the Syrian territories.

AFP News Agency  said that the European countries called on the Turkish regime to “cease the unilateral military action against Syria,” expressing deep concern over the aggression which hinder combating Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization which constitutes a big threat to the regional, international and European security.

The European countries expressed rejection of  the Turkish regime’s plans to establish the so-called ‘safe zone’ in northeast of Syria or any attempts of demographic  change in it. Läs uttalandet

All foreign military forces illegally stationed in Syria must withdraw from the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Saturday.

”All the forces deployed illegitimately inside any sovereign state – in this case Syria – must leave,” Putin told RT Arabic, Sky News Arabia and Al-Arabiya ahead of his tour to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Monday and Tuesday.

Russia will pull its troops out of Syria as well if Damascus does not need Moscow’s help anymore, Putin was quoted by RT as saying.

”Syria must be free from other states’ military presence. And the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic must be completely restored,” Putin said, adding that he had openly discussed the issue with Iranian, Turkish and U.S. partners. Läs artikel

The Council of Arab League (AL), held, at the level of foreign minister, called here today on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to take the necessary measures to stop the ongoing Turkish aggression on Syria, and withdraw from Syrian territories, immediately, and work to prevent Turkey from obtaining any military or information support, to help in this aggression, expressing their condemnation of the aggression on the territory on Syria, as it is a clear violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and Security Council resolutions and calling for maintaining the unity and independence of Syria.
The council, on its concluding decision, considered working of its emergency meeting, headed by Iraq, the Turkish aggression a direct threat to Arab national security and international peace and security, stressing that every Syrian effort to confront such aggression and defend Syrian territory, an application of the inherent right of the principle of legitimate self-defense, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Turkey shall stop the aggression, with an immediate and unconditional withdrawal from all Syrian territories, stressing that this aggression against Syria represents the latest episode of Turkish interventions and repeatedly unacceptable attacks, on the sovereignty of member states of the Arab League, the statement announced. Läs uttalandet

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa (Bahrain, red anm) , participated in the extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level regarding the Turkish aggression against Syria, which was held today at the Secretariat General of the League of Arab States’ headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. […]

Shaikh Khalid stressed that this aggression is a violation of the rules of international law and an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, which must be safeguarded, protected and have its brotherly people defended as an integral part of the Arab nation with its history, present and future, and work to meet its aspirations for security, development and prosperity, stating that the so-called buffer zone must have a clear political cover. […]

The extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level adopted a resolution condemning the Turkish aggression on Syrian territory as a clear violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Security Council resolutions that call for the preservation of the unity and independence of Syria, resolution 2254 in particular, considering it a direct threat to the Arab national security and international peace and security and assuring that every Syrian effort to confront this aggression and defend Syrian territory is an application of the inherent right of the principle of legitimate self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. Läs artikel

Årets största nationella marinövning, Swenex 19, står för dörren. Mellan den 12-24 oktober övar marinen på att lösa de svåraste uppgifter man kan ställas inför, att försvara Sverige och svenska intressen mot ett angrepp från en kvalificerad motståndare. Övningen genomförs i södra Östersjön och Hanöbukten. […]

Övningen är viktig av många skäl. Främst för att den utvecklar krigsförbanden under en tid när den säkerhetspolitiska situationen i närområdet har försämrats vilket gör det än viktigare att marinen kan bidra med stabilitet och säkerhet i och kring Östersjöområdet. Övningen sänder också budskap, vilket Anders Olovsson trycker på:

–Swenex bygger förtroende och tillit internt inom marinen vilket gör oss starkare. Inom försvarsmakten bygger vi förtroende för att marinen är beredd att göra sin del av den gemensamma striden, om det skulle bli nödvändigt. Vi berättar också för svenska folket att det finns en marin som är beredd att slåss för Sverige och svenska intressen. Slutligen sänder vi budskap till vår omvärld att marinen är att räkna med. Läs pressmeddelande

Utrikesminister Ann Linde (S) vill se ett vapenembargo mot Turkiet efter landets anfall mot de kurdiskkontrollerade områdena i Syrien.

Förslaget läggs fram i riksdagen på fredagen.

-Jag kommer att föreslå riksdagen att Sverige på EU:s utrikesministermöte ska driva på för ett vapenembargo mot Turkiet, säger Ann Linde till TT.

-Vi menar att det som Turkiet nu gör är en upptrappning av situationen. Det är ett brott mot folkrätten och naturligtvis ett militärt agerande som gör att kurderna får betala ett högt pris i stället för att vi respekterar de uppoffringar som de gjort i kampen mot Daesh (IS), fortsätter hon. […]

Förra året exporterade Sverige ingen krigsmateriel för strid till Turkiet, och i år har ingen affär med sådan krigsmateriel beviljats, uppger utrikesministern.

-Övrig materiel har vi naturligtvis exporterat, sådant som inte är för strid, och det kan vara allting från skyddsplåtar, första förband, brandfiltar och andra saker. Men det har inte skett någon vapenexport för strid, säger Ann Linde. Läs artikel

Vi trenger et sterkt og sjølstendig nasjonalt forsvar. Men det er ikke det forsvarssjefen legger opp til med sin innstilling. Han satser på teknikk og utstyr for angrep og forsvar. Han vil styrke Norge som en brikke for NATO og binder Norge enda sterkere opp til USA. Rødt ønsker et breddeforsvar som bl.a. kan mobilisere folk. Vi vil ha en vernepliktshær som folk får tilhørighet til.

Et sterkt nasjonalt forsvar vil heller ikke provosere Russland så mye som forsvarsjefens innstilling vil gjøre. Å overlate Andenes flystasjon til amerikanerne, bruke amerikansk ekspertise til overvåking av havområdene og amerikanske soldater i Trøndelag og i Troms, er krigshissing. Står vi for overvåkinga av havområdene sjøl og bare bruker norske soldater i nord, så kan vi løse de fleste uoverensstemmelsene diplomatisk. Vår strategi må være å ha dialog med våre naboer. Läs artikel

Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs: “Alliances are means to an end—not an end in themselves—and the tactical alliance between the United States and the Syrian Kurdish militias was based first and foremost on our mutual interest in defeating ISIS. Given America’s broader strategic interests and the need to focus on other problems, our commitment to the Kurds was on borrowed time once ISIS no longer posed any significant threat to the United States. In this sense, Trump’s desire to bring the U.S. commitment in Syria to an end was correct.

But as usual, Trump has pursued that sensible goal in the worst possible way. His impulsive decision to give Turkey a green light to attack the Kurds—a decision made with little advance planning or consultation—will raise new doubts about U.S. judgment.  Moreover, the United States still has boots on the ground in Syria, but much less diplomatic leverage now that they have left the border areas. And what diplomatic concessions did Trump gain from this sudden move? Nary a one. Once again, the self-proclaimed master of ‘the art of the deal’ has shown himself to be far more adept at the art of the ‘give-away.’ ”Läs artikel